cliff. on capitol hill lawmakers are talking about the consequences of taxes going up. danielle nottingham has the latest for wjz from washington. >> lawmakers are getting an earful about why they need to avoid the fiscal cliff. >> you have to nail this down. uncertainty you is -- is killing us. >> top economists came to talk about it. president obama and john boehner spoke wednesday but publicly are holding firm on their positions. the white house has made clear the country could go over the cliff if republicans refuse to raise taxes on the top 2% of american earners. republican leaders say they will close loopholes and eliminate tax breaks to raise money but insist that bush era tax cuts must be extended for all americans. the stan stand -- stand off and the debt concerns ryan skenke. he's the guidancing with the cochair of the president's deficit commission alan simpson. the group is working to get young people involved in fixing the debt crisis. >> we're trying to connect with our genera